On being a world citizen

Quite often I am asked “where are you located?” My answer is always the same: “The workstations are in Montreal but
for the past 25 years I gladden myself to be a world citizen”.

Now why would I say that?

I was first hooked up on the network to the university mainframe via
a 760
bauds terminal while very pregnant with daughter Emanuelle and working
from home for a scientific research group. I was editorial assistant to
a new scientific magazine called Typologie structurale which applied maths
to architectural problems.

The magazine mission was to circulate international abstracts, information
and news on how to build inexpensive structures as the solution to the
world's housing needs as per R. Buckminster Fuller's theory and vision
(this geodesic
dome was built for the International World Fair in '67) as well as
Moshe Safdie's ideas: Habitat
'67 built for the same event.

Not only were the people I was working with a fascinating
bunch of first rate intellectuals but overall the early 70s was an exciting
time of exponential advances; the introduction via technology, to a new
way of communication was pure science-fiction... come true!

It was the highest of the Cold war and I had the privilege
to work not only with ground breaking scientists but international humanitarian
activists as well - who to a certain degree put their lives on the line
to help dissidents the world around. The lessons I learned in world diplomacy,
the value of public
pressure as a mean to impact socio-political situations, the exposure
to survivors' stories (some of whom were tortured) shaped and changed
me.

Little did I know that these became an integral part
of my vision of the net(work) as a world wide communication platform whereas
changing the world is not an utopian dream. It took Tcharanksy 2.5 years of mobilized efforts to
set him free. Within minutes after 9/11 - the power of the net
was set ablaze. In matter of hours, there were solidarity networks. I
became part of a chain reaction that swept the world without ever leaving
my desk in Montreal. That's the power of the net!

My constant determination in contributing to make this
world a better home for everyone... one person at a time... makes me a world citizen.

Now imagine what can happen if the world citizens teamed up together in a day to day agenda?